House Council Reps Attend Human Rights Conference
On Friday 4th July, Mrs Griffiths accompanied six of our Year 9 and 10 Reps from House Council to a Human Rights Conference hosted by Denbigh School in association with the Holocaust Educational Trust & Remembering Srebrenica. The theme of the day was ‘Learning from the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides that have taken place across the World’, and was attended by Chris Curtis MP, MK Mayor James Lancaster and the Deputy Lord Lieutenant as well as students from eight local secondary schools.
Mrs Griffiths says, “we had the honour of hearing from Paul Salver B.E.M, a staunch advocate for Human Rights who brings a wealth of compassion and heart to speaking out for victims of genocide. Speakers also included Edina Crnkic, a survivor of the Bosnian genocide who poignantly reminded us that it is “everyone’s responsibility to speak up so this never happens again”.
We also heard from a Denbigh student and Ukrainian refugee who shared with us her journey out of Ukraine, reminding us that war is one of the biggest risks to upholding Human Rights, but also of the toll this takes on young people. Visitors from the Ukraine Appeal also shared with us stories of invasion, capture and reunification with family members who they thought might be lost. Noah made the effort to speak to the Ukraine Appeal after their talk about what he had learnt and what he hopes to do going forward.
Our students not only learnt a lot from the talks but also asked fantastic questions, including Zaina who discussed the Role of the UN in modern conflict and refugee crises with Paul Salver B.E.M..”
After the powerful and moving talks, students were invited to engage with other students and visitors before adding their handprint to the ‘Human Rights Tree’ which will hang at Denbigh School to commemorate the day and serve as a reminder that we all have a hand in ensuring Human Rights are protected. Our House Reps will now return to our last House Council meeting of the year to discuss how we can bring Human Rights to the fore in our Council activities at Watling.
